


all the pretty girls in this world but i'm in this space with you

by SleepyBanshee



Category: SKAM (Spain)
Genre: Christmas Gift Exchange, F/F, anyways christmas fluff. Think hallmark but make it gay, my bi ass loves (2) women, okay 3 cause Amira is a champ, why does ao3 hate their pairing relationship name?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-07
Updated: 2020-01-07
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:28:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22155532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SleepyBanshee/pseuds/SleepyBanshee
Summary: Cris + Joana exchange Christmas gifts and it's cute af, y'all.
Relationships: Cristina "Cris" Soto Peña/Joana Bianchi, Joana Bianchi/Cris Soto Peña
Comments: 1
Kudos: 74





	all the pretty girls in this world but i'm in this space with you

**December 18, 2019  
14:38**

Cris stretched out her neck and slowly raised the hem of her shirt, baring her midriff to the rays of the sun. The world was fucked due to climate change, but at least it meant that they got a break from the cold during winter. The mild 19 degrees celsius allowed from a reprieve of inside only activities like bars at night with the girls and her stuffy apartment. Happily, she had laid out a ratty blanket and enticed Joana to come outside with her. They found a sunny part in their favorite park. Joana was quiet today, Cris had noticed, her nose down in her sketchbook; but Cris was fine with a little quiet—hoping her steady presence could be support enough for whatever chaos was in Joana’s head.

Cris turned to look at Joana, her sunglasses dimming the bright purple hair that peaked out of the bun she had fastened when the sun got a little too warm for her. She wasn’t sure if it was the sight of Joana next to her or the sun, but Cris felt her body heat.

“I can feel you staring,” Joana told her without looking up from her sketchbook. Cris grinned outright and unashamedly continued her perusal.

“And?” Cris teased, her gaze steady.

“Don’t you have other things to do?”

“Than to stare at my beautiful girlfriend? Nope. Can’t think of a single one,” Cris lifted her hand and with one finger gently poked the side of Joana’s cheek. Joana’s lips ticked up ever so slightly at the touch, but she still focused on the sketchbook in front of her. The steady lines of charcoal in her hands seemed meditative, and Cris was absorbed in the repetitive motion.

Finally, after a few moments, Joana dropped her charcoal and closed her sketchbook, and turned her head to look at Cris. Cris grinned lazily, still stretched out on her back, her shirt raised to feel the heat of the sun on her body before the worst of winter came.

“You’re going to burn,” Joana noted, her hand barely touching the lines of Cris’ stomach. The action made Cris jump slightly, and goosebumps erupted on her skin despite the heat of the day.

“Psh, not likely.” Cris dismissed, still focusing her entire attention on Joana.

“No? Tomato cheeks?” Joana teased affectionately. They both knew that Joana loved how her cheeks flared red when she was embarrassed, or mad, or happily sated after physical activity.

Cris debated whether it was worth it to move her sunglasses so she could adequately roll her eyes, but decided against it. She closed her eyes instead, turning her head back to the sky.

“Are we doing gifts for Christmas?” Joana’s soft voice broke the silence, and Cris scooted closer to Joana.

“Do you want to do gifts?” Cris asked. The group had all decided to forgo gifts to save money for an end of the year trip, but Cris hadn’t known what that meant for the two of them. They weren’t just friends in the group. They were so much more.

“I wouldn’t mind,” Joana said, pausing for a minute. Cris was content to wait her out. She was no longer anxious in the silences that Joana left during their conversations. Sometimes Joana needed time to sort out the racing thoughts, and Cris was more than happy to give them to her. “Maybe we could say 20 dollar maximum or homemade?” She finished.

“Ugh,” Cris lamented, raising to sit up and face Joana fully. “That’s not fair. I don’t have a talented gift that makes for perfect presents,” Cris told her, pointing at the offending sketchbook and pencils. Joana smiled at Cris’ pout.

“You don’t have to make me something. Hence the amount maximum. And we don’t have to do gifts if you don’t want to.” Joana assured, her smile fond at Cris’ furrowed brows and downward lips.

“No, I’m okay with gifts. I just...ugh, I suck at them okay.” Cris said, her arms raised wildly in her words. Joana ducked her head amused at Cris but otherwise stayed silent. “I bought Viri flamingo slippers, Joana. That’s not a deep and meaningful gift.”

“Didn’t Viri love them?” Joana asked, having on more than one occasion seen Viri in said slippers.

“That’s not the point!”

“Oh?”

“The point,” Cris started, “is that I want to give a gift that will be as personal and wonderful and lovely as all of the gifts you’ve given me. It’s not fair that you have a built-in gift-giving talent.” Cris knew she was pouting, could feel her cheeks get more red.

“Wow,” Joana said, taken aback slightly at Cris’ rant. She still held her smile, which made Cris narrow her eyes ever so slightly but was otherwise calm. “I didn’t know this would become an issue.”

“I have years of terrible gift-giving baggage,” Cris muttered, laying back down on the blanket and putting her sunglasses back on her head.

After a minute, Joana broke the silence, “what if I promise not to draw you something? Would that make things more even?” Joana asked. 

“Hmm,” Cris murmured, thinking it over. “That does seem fairer,” she finally relented much to the amusement of Joana. Her chuckle alerted Cris to the fact that she might be being a bit ridiculous about the whole thing.

“Okay. So. No more than 20 dollars, it can be handmade, but I can’t draw you anything.” Joana said, moving towards Cris. She took her finger and gently slid it down the slope of Cris’s features, mapping the face that she loved so much.

“Okay, deal,” Cris muttered, before lifting up, propping her weight up with her elbows and brushing her lips on Joana’s. It was a soft kiss, chaste, but it still sent butterflies swarming in Cris’ stomach. She pulled back slightly, licked her lips before returning to Joana. This time, the kiss was surer, steady, familiar, and Joana enthusiastically met Cris for every movement. They pulled apart after a few minutes, relishing the feel of the sun, the grass surrounding them, the quiet sounds of animals in the background, but mostly, Cris relished the taste of Joana on her lips, the heat in Joana’s gaze, the surety of her heart that picked Joana over and over again.

“But we should lower our gift expectations for one another,” Cris spoke softly against Joana’s lips before kissing her again, wondering if it was too cheesy to say that Joana in her life was gift enough.

**December 24, 2019  
20:04**

“This is a disaster, Amira!” Cris yelled as she rushed around her room, finding the scraps of paper she had carefully laid out and then promptly knocked over a few minutes ago.

“Cris—” Amira started before Cris cut her off again.

“Why did I think this would be a good gift? It’s too much work, and it’s not even a good idea. God, it’s so dumb.”

“I don’t think—” Amira tried to say again before Cris kept talking, her body pacing over the small open floor of her room.

“Girl, why did you say this was a good idea? You’re my best friend; you are supposed to make sure I don’t do ridiculous things,” Cris bent down again, picking up one of the strips of paper and turned towards an amused Amira as she stood back up. She noted Amira’s raised brow and skeptical smile at that statement. It deflated the panic Cris had been building a bit. She walked to Amira’s spot on the floor and sat down with her.

“I’m supposed to stop you from doing ridiculous things?” Amira asked, her eyes wide with incredulity. Cris released a massive sigh and propped her head on the bed behind her.

“No,” she said petulantly before turning her head to look at Amira, both of them breaking out in laughter. It was infectious, and soon Cris was carefully wiping tears from underneath her eyes, making sure that her nails didn’t get too close to her actual eye.

Amira leaned next to Cris, resting her head on her shoulder. “So, why the freakout? You’ve already done all the work.” Amira asked softly, a smile still on her face.

“You know I’m not good at this,” Cris murmured, putting her head on top of Amira’s.

“At what?”

“Being vulnerable, you know, sappy,” Cris whispered. She hated the insecurities she had of what she was supposed to be. She was just so used to being the party girl, the funny girl, the girl who has a good time. With Joana, she’s been more, with the girls too, but that feeling like she’s not built for deep love, and vulnerability still rests on her chest—a heavyweight that she can’t wholly shake. She’s never been known to be sweet. Not really, not in a way this gift she’s thought of portrays.

“You’re doing it pretty well right now,” Amira told her plainly.

“Hm,” Cris responded unsurely.

“You’re overthinking this. Joana loves you, all of you, just as much as I do. Don’t overthink it.” Amira advised, grasping her hand in Cris.

“Okay,” Cris said before straightening up. She gave Amira’s hand a final squeeze before letting go and beginning to order the scraps of paper for Joana’s gift. “Let’s do this.”

**December 26, 2019  
21:13**

Cris sat crossed-leg on her bed with Joana, her parents, and brothers gone for the next few days. Blessedly, Dani was supportive and helped get the parents out of the house so she could have some time alone with her girlfriend. She faced Joana, both of their gifts between them. She shook the nerves off and beamed at the playful expression on Joana’s face.

“It’s big,” Joana said, tracing her finger over the box. She glanced at Cris, who shrugged coyly, her eyes darting to the side to avoid eye contact. Cris could already feel the heat rise in her cheeks. “Any clues?” Joana asked.

“Ha!” Cris responded, shaking her head. “Any guesses?” She fired back. The twinkling lights in Cris’ room casting a warm glow on Joana’s contemplative features.

“A giant sketchbook?” Joana asked, but kept going before Cris could respond, “No! No! I know, a beer helmet.”

Cris raised her eyebrows and let out a cackle. “You thought I would get you a beer helmet?” The question was purely jest, but Cris felt that tightness in her chest. That is what a party girl would give someone.

“No!” Joana said, emphatically laughing along with her. “That doesn’t seem like something you would get me, maybe for Dani.” Cris warmed at the words and gestured at the gifts with her hand.

“Do you want to go first?” Cris offered, nudging her present with her toes towards Joana.

“Actually, I want you to open mine first,” Joana said as she picked up the small square box wrapped in a light gold wrapping paper, a small red velvet bow wrapped around it, and handed it to Cris.

“It’s an engagement ring, isn’t it?” Cris teased as she carefully removed the bow from the box without untying it and slipped it around her wrist.

“Just open it!” Cris complied, tearing the wrapping paper and carefully opening the lid of the brown cardboard box. Inside, she gently unfolded the tissue paper and carefully pulled out the silver pendant. Cris stared down at the gift, tears forming in her eyes as she ran her hand over the cool silver.

“It’s a frog,” Cris whispered, pulling it out of the box. “You got me a frog necklace?” Cris asked, turning the small frog over in her hands and seeing the small silver chain pull out of the box.

“Yes,” was the soft reply from Joana, but Cris couldn’t take her eyes off of the frog. It was small, silver, and looked as it was jumping up. Around her neck, it would rest around her heart, as if the frog was hanging onto her for dear life. She stroked the silver, unable to quell the lump in her throat at the beauty of it. Finally, she looked up, she saw Joana’s thumb in her mouth, a nervous gesture, and Joana gave a hesitant smile. And those two things set Cris in motion.

Clasping her gift in her fist, she immediately leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss to Joana’s forehead. The hands that had been fidgeting were now holding Cris’ cheeks, tucking her hair behind her ears. “I love it. Thank you,” Cris breathed, capturing Joana’s lips in a heated kiss—the gift still carefully held in one of her hands.

Joana pulled back slightly, nuzzling her nose against Cris’. “Yeah?”

“Yes! So much!” Cris nodded, her smile highlighting the sheen of tears in her eyes. “It’s beautiful. Just as much as the girl who gave it to me.”

Joana grinned, and they stayed huddled together for a few seconds, foreheads resting against each other before they pulled apart. Cris carefully put the small silver chain over her head and watched as the frog hung to her chest. She put her hand over it, feeling the cool metal on her heart. She beamed down at it, before turning her attention back to Joana.

“Okay, your turn,” She told Joana, who took no amount of time to haul the bigger box near her and hastily pull apart the newspaper-wrapped present from Cris.

Jana pulled out a rather large mason jar looking at it carefully. Cris couldn’t blame her. The mason jar held brightly colored scraps of paper on the inside from any and every color imaginable. On the outside, small lights were wrapped around it diagonally from top to bottom, the little battery-powered switch resting to the side of the closed jar. Joana hit the button and saw the entire container light up, making the papers inside seem more colorful.

“It’s beautiful,” Joana said, not fully understanding the gift if the back and forth glances between the present and Cris’ face were any indication.

“I made it,” Cris said, somewhat obviously, but Joana took it seriously, shaking her head as she continued to look both at the gift and back to Cris. “It has three hundred pieces of paper in it.” She continued, pausing at the wonder in Joana’s eyes as she traced her fingers over the small lights.

“What is on the scraps?” She asked, almost reverently.

Cris shrugged her shoulders. “Little things. Things I love about you, memories, jokes, stories about me you may not know. A few pictures of me as a kid.” Joana raised the large mason jar bringing it to her face so she could gaze more closely at all the slips of paper.

“Do I get to read one every day?” Joana asked curiously, lowering the jar and directing her attention back to Cris.

“If you want, yeah, there’s almost enough for a whole year, and I can make you more. But they are also for hard minutes. When it feels like you can’t deal with everything going on and you’re overwhelmed.” Cris reached out her hand, and Joana grasped it firmly, immediately, lovingly. “It’s to get you through the minutes. Even if there are a lot of bad minutes in a row.”

They sat, looking at the gift and each other in silence, but it wasn’t heavy, or tense. The silence was filled with such warmth, such love, such tenderness that neither girl could add any words to enhance the moment. It was, Cris thought, a moment she would write down on a slip of paper and put in the jar. It was a moment to remember and cherish.

“Thank you,” came the rough words from Joana. “It’s...wonderful!” Cris smiled and ducked her red-flamed cheeks down only to catch the small frog hanging from her neck. Cris looked up and caught Joana’s eye, so her meaning would be perfectly clear.

“Yes, it is,” Cris muttered. They both knew they weren’t talking about the precious gifts they had given one another, but the two of them and the love that they create together.

**Author's Note:**

> Bless my beta @nnegan13 for literally all u do. I was extra needy today and you were a champ! 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy! 
> 
> Title from Kehlani's song: Honey 
> 
> find me on tumblr: https://air-bison-yip-yip.tumblr.com/
> 
> I hope you enjoy!
> 
> xoxo,  
> SleepyBanshee


End file.
